The mission of Prognosis is to explore the nexus at which healthcare policy meets healthcare practice and how one affects the other. This blog makes readers more aware of the innovations taking place in healthcare delivery, financing and technology and the types of public policies that will encourage further progress.

Healthcare In Focus is a public education initiative of the HLC, created to promote a constructive dialogue about the state and future of American healthcare.

According to news reports, filmmaker Michael Moore is in Washington, DC today to promote his oxymoron of a movie, Capitalism: A Love Story (Aren’t capitalist-minded producers making money on this anti-capitalism film?). While he’s here, he’s planning a press conference to exorciate moderate Blue Dog House Democrats for not supporting a government health plan option and, reportedly, will urge primary opposition for those Democrats who hold that position.

Of course, it’s Mr. Moore’s prerogative to support or oppose whoever he wants, but that doesn’t mean his position is a particularly well-conceived one. He equates opposition to the government option with being against health reform, and that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Read more

The United States healthcare system takes a beating in some quarters because of our lower life expectancy compared to other affluent, industrialized countries. The blame is often placed on the contrast between our market-based healthcare system and the government-run systems found in Canada and much of Europe.

A new study, though, says that there are other compelling factors driving the longevity gap and that, actually, Americans are paying more for healthcare than other countries because we get more thorough treatment for many diseases. Read more

Chairman Baucus deserves to be commended for his steadfast efforts to develop health reform legislation that has the potential to gain strong majority support in the United States Senate. Health reform – an issue that affects our nation’s long-term prosperity and the well-being of every American – needs to be bipartisan and avoid ideological extremes that divide the country rather than uniting us. Chairman Baucus has committed to work with Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and that is an effort that must continue.

The Baucus bill takes some very positive steps toward improving our nation’s health care system. It addressed the uninsured by bringing everyone into the system, proposing essential insurance market reforms and providing subsidies and tax credits to Americans of limited means. The bill makes critical delivery and payment reforms, aligning dollars with healthcare quality and incentivizing coordinated care. It calls for significant investments in prevention and wellness. Read more

President Obama is right when he says the time for action on health reform is now. He’s also correct when he says that there is widespread agreement on most of the components of meaningful reform. Nothing should stand in the way of Congress acting to expand coverage and enact necessary delivery reforms, payment reforms and wellness and prevention initiatives. Read more

Congratulations to Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa on his ascension to the chairmanship of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, taking the place of the late Edward Kennedy.

Senator Harkin is one of the Senate’s strongest and most vocal champions for making prevention and wellness a cornerstone of healthcare policymaking. We’ve had the opportunity to work with him on various issues, and there is no question regarding his dedication to the idea that we can best improve the U.S. healthcare system by investing in the early detection and prevention of chronic disease.

We certainly look forward to working with the Senator from Iowa in his new role as Senate HELP Chairman.